The Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajiva has said he was very pleased that the G20 had recognised the need to have the voices of all the world's regions at the London Summit. The current economic crisis affected every country, he said in an interview with Quinton Quayle, the British Ambassador to Thailand. It was very important to ensure a coordinated response to a crisis that could create social tensions.

• Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajiva and Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij speaking to the British Ambassador
  

Speaking at the same event, Thailand's Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said the London Summit would provide an important bridge between Asia and the rest of the world. Economic problems were global in nature and were not restricted to one country. The 1997 Asian crisis had led to a strengthening of the region's financial systems, but the current financial crisis in western countries had had a very quick impact on the economies of the Asian countries.

Interviewed in both English and Thai by the British Ambassador, Finance Minister Korn said a recent summit at Phuket had extended the Chang Mai initiative which had created a pool of liquidity in the region after 1997. 'I don't see the need for new financial regulation or laws,' he said, 'but lessons need to be learnt about prudence and risks and adequate levels of capital.'